For your Heart
In honour of Valentine’s Day, last month I taught a Heart-Health themed cooking class for a group at Cirillo’s Culinary Academy. Cardiovascular health impacts everything in your daily life from going for a run to bringing nutrients to your body cells. Nutrition plays a vital role in keeping your cardiovascular system running smoothly.
Heart Healthy Nutrients:
- Polyphenols, otherwise known as antioxidants, protect the body against harmful toxins, lower blood pressure; protect blood vessels, lower LDL (bad) cholesterol.
- Magnesium, calcium and potassium all lower blood pressure.
- Omega 3 fatty acids and ALA (alpha-linolenic fatty acid) protect against heart attacks, increase HDL (good cholesterol), lower blood pressure, protect against arterial plaque build-up, lower blood triglyceride levels.
- Fiber helps lower LDL cholesterol levels and decrease risk of heart disease
- B-Complex (such as B12 and B6) vitamins protect against hardening of arteries, blood clots and increases HDL cholesterol levels
- Folate, B12 and B6 help breakdown homocysteine (a potentially dangerous molecule) and protect against heart attack, stroke and blood vessel damage. Folate is important for cellular division and protection against cancer.
I taught three very tasty and heart-health conscious recipes that make eating healthy easy.
